It is known in a wide variety of applications to use a vertical pilaster strip having a plurality of slots in combination with removable clips that have fingers that engage the slots. Pilaster and clip arrangements are well known, for example, for supporting shelves in a cantilevered fashion from a wall, so that the clip forms an extended cantilevered elongated bracket to support the entire shelf. In other situations where the shelf is being suspended on multiple sides, for example, in the case of a box-shaped cabinet, it has been known to use shorter clips that extend horizontally outward a small distance from the pilaster strips, on two or three sides of the shelf to support the shelf.
The pilaster strips are often formed as an elongated U-shaped ban that provides a vertical strip-type surface having slots evenly spaced along its length. The clips typically have two or more fingers spaced with the same spacing as the slots. The fingers can be inserted into the slots, and then slid downwardly by a small distance so that they interlock with the slots and will not pull out from the slots unless the clip is raised again. Once the clip has been slid down into the slots, the clip provides a secure mounting point. Often times, the clip has a top resting surface onto which a shelf or other item can be supported.
The prior art clips have been known to have a completely planar configuration, with a thickness that is slightly less than the width of the slots. This permits the fingers to be inserted into the slots, with some sideways clearance, and then be slid down into the supporting position. The clips then bear the weight of the shelf or other item, and this tends to hold the clips in place once the clips and the shelf or other item have been installed in this way.
Pilaster and clip arrangements are often used in various cabinets such as furniture or other storage cabinets. For example, pilaster and clip arrangements are used in the interior of environmentally controlled cabinets, such as for example refrigerated cabinets.
In some situations, it is desirable to insert the clips into the slots of a pilaster prior to a transport of the cabinet. For example, in the case of refrigerators, it is frequent that the refrigerator will be shipped via air, truck, or railroad, with the pilasters pre-installed on the cabinet, and the clips and shelves placed inside the cabinet. Frequently for transport the shelves may be resting on the clips. In other transport situations, the clips may be simply clipped into the pilasters by themselves so that they can be conveniently transported and located by the user when the refrigerator reaches the destination. In this circumstance the shelves may be resting in the bottom of the cabinet, and are not supported by the clips.
It has been found that in this situation where the clips are merely resting in the pilaster slots, but are not supporting any other weight, the clips, which are themselves relatively light, can be dislodged by vibrations or bumps during transit. That is, vibrations or bumps can cause the clips, which are relatively loosely fit in the slots when they are not supporting any other weight, to bounce or jiggle vertically enough so that they fall out of the slots. This is undesirable, because the clips then fall to the bottom of the enclosure, and may become lost or misplaced or at least had to locate at some point during unpacking at the destination. Also, even if the clips are supporting the shelf, vibration can cause the clips to disengage, and then both the shelf and clips can fall to the bottom of the cabinet, damaging the shelf.
One remedy for this problem has been to add a tie wrap that ties around a part of the clip and around a part of the shelf, e.g. a side rail of a wire-type shelf. The tie wrap can be a conventional plastic tie. However, this adds the inconvenience of a separate component.
In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that it would be desirable to have a system and method for retaining clips such as shelf clips in the pilaster slots so they are retained in place during vibration. It would also be desirable to provide this clip retaining effect without the need for additional parts or pieces, while reducing the expense associated with manufacture of the arrangement, and also while providing an arrangement that is easy to insert and remove.